The nation was largely focused on domestic, economic issues during the early 2050s. The Wave of Automation, which saw massive unemployment as a result of robot and computer labour, spurred on governments to find a solution. The Democratic Party platform involved extensive wealth re-distribution from the creative elite (the only segment of the population whose work remained un-automated), to the unemployed population. The Rockefeller Party, while still advocating for some government re-distribution of wealth, proposed less extensive policies than the Democratic Party. Furthermore, Rockefeller politicians proposed that economic policies remain in the hands of states as opposed to the federal government; many, including Annie McPherson, desired to limit state-to-state wealth redistribution.